8-11-14-eicosatrienoic-acid and Cardiovascular-Diseases

Biologically active epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) regioisomers are synthesized from arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 epoxygenases of endothelial, myocardial, and renal tubular cells. EETs relax vascular smooth muscle and decrease inflammatory cell adhesion and cytokine release. Renal EETs promote sodium excretion and vasodilation to decrease hypertension. Cardiac EETs reduce infarct size after ischemia-reperfusion injury and decrease fibrosis and inflammation in heart failure. In diabetes, EETs improve insulin sensitivity, increase glucose tolerance, and reduce the renal injury. These actions of EETs emphasize their therapeutic potential. To minimize metabolic inactivation, 14,15-EET agonist analogs with stable epoxide bioisosteres and carboxyl surrogates were developed. In preclinical rat models, a subset of agonist analogs, termed EET-A, EET-B, and EET-C22, are orally active with good pharmacokinetic properties. These orally active EET agonists lower blood pressure and reduce cardiac and renal injury in spontaneous and angiotensin hypertension. Other beneficial cardiovascular actions include improved endothelial function and cardiac antiremodeling actions. In rats, EET analogs effectively combat acute and chronic kidney disease including drug- and radiation-induced kidney damage, hypertension and cardiorenal syndrome kidney damage, and metabolic syndrome and diabetes nephropathy. The compelling preclinical efficacy supports the prospect of advancing EET analogs to human clinical trials for kidney and cardiovascular diseases.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Administration, Oral; Animals; Blood Pressure; Cardiovascular Diseases; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Humans; Hypertension; Kidney Diseases; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular; Structure-Activity Relationship; Vasodilation

Despite the optimization of blood glucose control and the therapeutic management of risk factors, obesity- and diabetes-induced cardiovascular diseases are still major health problems in the United States. Arachidonic acid (AA), an endogenous 20-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid, is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases into epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which are important lipid mediators with many beneficial effects in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity- and diabetes-induced cardiovascular diseases. EETs can be further metabolized to less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). It has been demonstrated that the use of sEH blockers, which prevent EET degradation, is a promising pharmacological approach to promoting insulin secretion, preventing endothelial dysfunction, decreasing blood pressure, and protecting against target organ damage in obesity and metabolic diseases. This review will focus on biochemistry of CYP monooxygenase system as well as the pharmacology and physiological significance of EETs and sEH. We will also discuss the role of EETs/sEH in T1DM, T2DM, and obesity- and diabetes-induced cardiovascular diseases.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animals; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus; Epoxide Hydrolases; Humans; Obesity; Solubility

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Among many potential targets for pharmacological intervention, a promising strategy involves epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) and soluble epoxide hydroxylase (sEH) inhibition. sEH is the enzyme that converts EET to its less potent metabolite; therefore, EET is upregulated by its inhibitor. EET has pleotropic effects that collectively reduce inflammation, while increasing vasodilation and insulin sensitivity. Recent reports indicate that EET agonists and sEH inhibitors are capable of not only reversing endothelial dysfunction and hypertension, but also of reversing cardiac remodeling, which is a hallmark of cardiomyopathy and the metabolic syndrome. EET agonists and sEH inhibitors are in development as potential therapies, and at least one drug is already in clinical trials. This review examines the activity of EET in biological systems, proposes a series of pathways to explain its mechanism of action, and discusses how these might be exploited for potential therapeutic use.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animals; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies; Drug Design; Endothelium, Vascular; Enzyme Inhibitors; Epoxide Hydrolases; Humans; Myocardial Ischemia; Vasodilator Agents

Arachidonic acids are converted to eicosanoid mediators by the distinct enzyme systems: cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase and cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenase pathways (ω/ω⁻¹-hydroxylases and epoxygenases). CYP2J2, CYP2C8 and CYP2C9 are the predominant epoxygenase isoforms abundantly expressed in the endothelium, myocardium, and kidney in human. The primary epoxidation products by epoxygenases are four regioisomers of cis-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs): 5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12-, and 14,15-EETs. Numerous studies demonstrated that the cardiovascular protective effects of CYP epoxygenases and EETs range from vasodilation, anti-hypertension, pro-angiogenesis, anti-atherosclerosis, and anti-inflammation to anti-injury caused by ischemia-reperfusion. The roles of arachidonic acids and its metabolites in cancer biology have recently attracted great attentions. However, CYP epoxygenase derived EETs and cancer has received little attention. It was demonstrated that CYP epoxygenases and EETs are significantly upregulated in human tumors and promote tumor progression and metastasis. Additionally, specific inhibitors of CYP2J2, derived from terfenadine, exhibit strong anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. It is implicated that CYP2J2 may be a therapeutic target for treating human cancers.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2J2; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Enzyme Inhibitors; Humans; Neoplasms; Structure-Activity Relationship; Terfenadine

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) build a family consisting of four arachidonic acid derived regioisomers that are generated by P450 epoxygenases. In the past years, growing interest in influencing EET level arose since EETs possess numerous beneficial effects in the cardiovascular system, for example, vasodilation, anti-inflammation and elicit renal and myocardial protection. Because EETs are primarily metabolized by the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and potent inhibitors of this enzyme are currently available, pharmacological sEH inhibition seems to be a feasible approach to elevate EET level in vivo. Hence, first clinical trials on sEH inhibition in man have begun. This review focuses on sEH inhibition as a novel pharmacological cardiovascular protective strategy with special regard to in vivo investigations.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animals; Arachidonic Acids; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular System; Enzyme Inhibitors; Epoxide Hydrolases; Humans; Isomerism; Models, Biological

Alpha-Lipoic acid (ALA) is a natural compound, chemically named 1,2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid, also referred to as thioctic acid. In humans, ALA is synthetized by the liver and other tissues with high metabolic activity: heart, kidney. ALA is both water and fat soluble and therefore, is widely distributed in both cellular membranes and cytosol. Recently, a greater deal of attention has been given to antioxidant function for ALA and its reduced formed: dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA). ALA scavenges hydroxyl radicals, hypochlorous acid and singlet oxygen. It may also exert antioxidant effects in biological systems through transitional metal chelation. Dihydrolipoic acid has been shown to have antioxidant but also pro-oxidant properties in systems in which hydroxyl radical was generated. ALA/DHLA ratio has the capacity to recycle endogenous antioxidants such as vitamin E. A number of experimental as well as clinical studies point to the usefulness of ALA as a therapeutic agent for such diverse conditions as diabetes, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, neuropathy, neurodegenerative diseases and ischemia-reperfusion injury. ALA represents a potential agent on the vascular endothelium, recording to ALA/DHLA redox couple is one of the most powerful biological antioxidant systems.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animal Experimentation; Animals; Antioxidants; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus; Endothelium, Vascular; Free Radical Scavengers; Humans; Hydroxyl Radical; Insulin Resistance; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Oxidation-Reduction; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rats; Thioctic Acid; Toluene; Vitamin B Complex

Much attention has recently been paid to the possible benefits of increasing the intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) by consuming fish oil. However, this can have adverse effects such as raising cholesterol levels in patients with hyperlipidaemia and causing a deterioration in glucose tolerance. High doses of EPA given to Westerners also lower levels of dihomogammalinolenic acid (DGLA), a substance with a wide range of desirable cardiovascular and antiinflammatory actions. This lowering of DGLA does not occur in Eskimos who consume large amounts of EPA, indicating that there may be differences in essential fatty acid metabolism between Westerners and Eskimos. Therapeutic strategies are required which raise both EPA and DGLA and which do not raise EPA at the cost of lowering DGLA.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cholesterol; Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; Drug Interactions; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; Fatty Acids, Essential; Humans; Inflammation

It is hypothesized that plasma proportion of selected fatty acids (FAs) and dietary habits are linked with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in postmenopausal women. Therefore, this study was designed to determine the association of plasma FA composition and markers of dietary habits with an atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), a predictor of CVD risk in postmenopausal women. In total, 87 postmenopausal women with an average age of 57 ± 7 years were recruited and their dietary intake, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, and FA status in total plasma lipid proportions were determined, showing that 65.5% of the participants had a high risk of CVD according to their AIP value. After adjusting for some confounders (age, body mass index, and physical activity level), the risk of CVD was only positively associated with the frequency of consumption of animal fat spreads (butter and lard) of terrestrial origin. Regarding the FA profile, CVD risk was positively associated with the percentages of vaccenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA; mainly n-7) in total FA, as well as the MUFA/SFA ratio in total plasma and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-16 activity (16:1/16:0 ratio). In contrast, the risk of CVD was negatively associated with percentages of α-linolenic acid, total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and PUFA/MUFA ratio in total plasma lipid, and the estimated activity of Δ5-desaturase (20:4/20:3 n-6 ratio). These results support the current recommendations to decrease the frequency of animal fat spread intake because it is associated with a reduced CVD risk based on AIP in postmenopausal women. In accordance with these plasma percentages of ALA, vaccenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid, PUFA, PUFA/MUFA ratio, and 16:1/16:0 ratio may be important parameters in CVD risk assessment.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Dietary Fats; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Feeding Behavior; Female; Humans; Postmenopause

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are epoxy fatty acids that have biological actions that are essential for maintaining water and electrolyte homeostasis. An inability to increase EETs in response to a high-salt diet results in salt-sensitive hypertension. Vasodilation, inhibition of epithelial sodium channel, and inhibition of inflammation are the major EET actions that are beneficial to the heart, resistance arteries, and kidneys. Genetic and pharmacological means to elevate EETs demonstrated antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and organ protective actions. Therapeutic approaches to increase EETs were then developed for cardiovascular diseases. sEH (soluble epoxide hydrolase) inhibitors were developed and progressed to clinical trials for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and other diseases. EET analogs were another therapeutic approach taken and these drugs are entering the early phases of clinical development. Even with the promise for these therapeutic approaches, there are still several challenges, unexplored areas, and opportunities for epoxy fatty acids.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Animals; Arachidonic Acid; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; Disease Models, Animal; Epoxide Hydrolases; Forecasting; Humans; Hypertension; Kidney; Kidney Diseases; Mice; Natriuresis; Potassium; Rats; Rats, Inbred Dahl; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Chloride, Dietary; Vasodilation; Water-Electrolyte Balance; Water-Electrolyte Imbalance

The cardioprotective properties of linoleic acid (LA), a major n-6 (ω-6) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), have been recognized, but less is known about its associations with other causes of death. Relatively little is also known about how the minor n-6 PUFAs-γ-linolenic acid (GLA), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA), and arachidonic acid (AA)-relate to mortality risk.. We investigated the associations of serum n-6 PUFAs, an objective biomarker of exposure, with risk of death in middle-aged and older men and whether disease history modifies the associations.. We included 2480 men from the prospective Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, aged 42-60 y at baseline in 1984-1989. The stratified analyses by baseline disease status included 1019 men with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, or diabetes and 1461 men without a history of disease.. During the mean follow-up of 22.4 y, 1143 deaths due to disease occurred. Of these, 575 were CVD deaths, 317 were cancer deaths, and 251 were other-cause deaths. A higher serum LA concentration was associated with a lower risk of death from any cause (multivariable-adjusted HR for the highest compared with the lowest quintile: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.71; P-trend < 0.001) and with deaths due to CVD (extreme-quintile HR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.74; P-trend < 0.001) and non-CVD or noncancer causes (HR: 0.48; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.76; P-trend = 0.001). Serum AA had similar, although weaker, inverse associations. Serum GLA and DGLA were not associated with risk of death, and none of the fatty acids were associated with cancer mortality. The results were generally similar among those with or without a history of major chronic disease (P-interaction > 0.13).. Our findings showed an inverse association of a higher biomarker of LA intake with total and CVD mortality and little concern for risk, thus supporting the current dietary recommendations to increase LA intake for CVD prevention. The finding of an inverse association of serum AA with the risk of death needs replication in other populations.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Adult; Arachidonic Acid; Biomarkers; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus; Diet; Fatty Acids, Omega-6; Follow-Up Studies; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Incidence; Linoleic Acid; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Neoplasms; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors

Increasing evidences support that metabolically healthy obese (MHO) is a transient state. However, little is known about the early markers associated with the development of metabolic abnormalities in MHO individuals. Serum free fatty acids (FFAs) profile is highlighted in its association with obesity-related insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). To examine the association of endogenous fatty acid metabolism with future development of metabolic abnormalities in MHO individuals, we retrospectively analyzed 24 [product FFA]/[precursor FFA] ratios in fasting sera and clinical data from 481 individuals who participated in three independent studies, including 131 metabolic healthy subjects who completed the 10-year longitudinal Shanghai Diabetes Study (SHDS), 312 subjects cross-sectionally sampled from the Shanghai Obesity Study (SHOS), and 38 subjects who completed an 8-week very low carbohydrate diet (VLCD) intervention study. Results showed that higher baseline level of oleic acid/stearic acid (OA/SA), and lower levels of stearic acid/palmitic acid (SA/PA) and arachidonic acid/dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (AA/DGLA) ratios were associated with higher rate of MHO to MUO conversion in the longitudinal SHDS. Further, the finding was validated in the cross-sectional and interventional studies. This panel of FFA ratios could be used for identification and early intervention of at-risk obese individuals.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Adult; Arachidonic Acid; Area Under Curve; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diet; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Obesity; Oleic Acid; Palmitic Acid; Retrospective Studies; ROC Curve; Stearic Acids

Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (FABP4) is a member of a highly conserved family of cytosolic proteins that bind with high affinity to hydrophobic ligands, such as saturated and unsaturated long-chain fatty acids and eicosanoids. Recent evidence has supported a novel role for FABP4 in linking obesity with metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. In this context, we identified FABP4 as a main bioactive factor released from human adipose tissue that directly suppresses heart contraction in vitro. As FABP4 is known to be a transport protein, it cannot be excluded that lipid ligands are involved in the cardiodepressant effect as well, acting in an additional and/or synergistic way.. We investigated a possible involvement of lipid ligands in the negative inotropic effect of adipocyte factors in vitro.. We verified that blocking the CYP epoxygenase pathway in adipocytes attenuates the inhibitory effect of adipocyte-conditioned medium (AM) on isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes, thus suggesting the participation of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) in the cardiodepressant activity. Analysis of AM for EETs revealed the presence of 5,6-, 8,9-, 11,12- and 14,15-EET, whereas 5,6-EET represented about 45% of the total EET concentration in AM. Incubation of isolated cardiomyocytes with EETs in similar concentrations as found in AM showed that 5,6-EET directly suppresses cardiomyocyte contractility. Furthermore, after addition of 5,6-EET to FABP4, the negative inotropic effect of FABP4 was strongly potentiated in a concentration-dependent manner.. These data suggest that adipocytes release 5,6-EET and FABP4 into the extracellular medium and that the interaction of these factors modulates cardiac function. Therefore elevated levels of FABP4 and 5,6-EET in obese patients may contribute to the development of heart dysfunction in these subjects.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Adipose Tissue; Animals; Cardiovascular Diseases; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; Female; Humans; Male; Myocardial Contraction; Myocytes, Cardiac; Obesity; Rats

Because alterations in blood fatty acid (FA) composition by dietary lipids are associated with insulin resistance and related metabolic disorders, we hypothesized that serum phospholipid FA composition would reflect the early alteration of fasting glycemic status, even in people without metabolic syndrome (MetS). To examine this hypothesis, serum phospholipid FA, desaturase activities, fasting glycemic status, and cardiometabolic parameters were measured in study participants (n = 1022; 30-69 years; male, n = 527; female, n = 495; nondiabetics without disease) who were stratified into normal fasting glucose (NFG) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) groups. Total monounsaturated FA (MUFA), oleic acid (OA; 18:1n-9), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA; 20:3n-6), Δ-9-desaturase activity (D9D; 18:1n-9/18:0), and DGLA/linoleic acid (20:3n-6/18:2n-6) in serum phospholipids were significantly higher in IFG subjects than NFG controls. Study subjects were subdivided into 4 groups, based on fasting glucose levels and MetS status. Palmitoleic acid (16:1n-7) was highest in IFG-MetS and lowest in NFG-non-MetS subjects. Oleic acid and D9D were higher in IFG-MetS than in the other 3 groups. Dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and DGLA/linoleic acid were higher in MetS than in non-MetS, regardless of fasting glucose levels. The high-sensitivity C-reactive proteins (hs-CRPs) and 8-epi-prostaglandin-F2α were higher in IFG than in NFG, regardless of MetS status. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins were higher in IFG-MetS than in the other 3 groups. Total MUFAs, OA, and D9D were positively correlated with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, fasting glucose, triglyceride, hs-CRP, and 8-epi-prostaglandin-F2α. Palmitoleic acid was positively correlated with triglyceride and hs-CRP. Lastly, total MUFA, OA, palmitoleic acid, and D9D were associated with early alteration of fasting glycemic status, therefore suggesting that these may be useful markers for predicting the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Biomarkers; Blood Glucose; C-Reactive Protein; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dinoprost; Fasting; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Female; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Linoleic Acid; Lipoproteins, LDL; Male; Metabolic Syndrome; Middle Aged; Oleic Acid; Phospholipids; Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase; Triglycerides